New Member Orientation

History of the club:

The land the club sits on was purchased in 1961. The Distant Riders club acquired the land in 1962. Yes - our club has been around for more than 60 years! At one time there was a TT track where the mini track and starting line is today. Today we have a variety of different terrain to practice skills on. The club currently has access to 180 acres surrounded by farmland and woods. We have wonderful neighbors, so please, respect the posted signs.

Current Climate

This year we have some awesome events planned for our membership. We will have monthly ride days from May to October on a groomed track. This may not be “race ready” but it will be groomed to some extent.  We will provide pizza, subs, or other great food!

We have an annual Camp and Ride weekend the final date is TBD. It’s a fun weekend to be with your mx family, camp, have dirt bike games, have a BBQ.  We will also have a clambake on a TBD date, usually the clambake falls at the end of the year as a last big hoorah for the year.

This year we will be having the 12th anniversary of the King of the Hill. 

Throughout the spring, summer, and fall feel free to be as social as possible with other members!

Earning Points

A member can earn points throughout the year to be used to reduce their membership dues for the following year.  Points can be earned by coming to meetings, work days, volunteering on race weekends (and there will be a lot of positions we will need filled on race weekends!), or by doing special projects around the club. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure all of your points are accounted for properly (check on the PRA website, under the members section) There will always be a sign in sheet at all events, make sure to sign in!

Rules

We have to have them to keep our members safe, our neighbors happy, and our facility sustainable for many years to come. This means wearing proper gear, adhering to the sound rules and staying on OUR property. But most importantly, DO NOT RIDE ALONE!!   Please familiarize yourself with the Club's Bylaws (which can be found on our website).   Bike engine start time is no earlier than 9 am, during hunting season, that time is 11 am.

Meetings

We understand that taking the time out of the crazy weeknight schedule to come to a PRA meeting can be a bit difficult to manage at times. But this is the time for us to come together as a club and talk about past, current, and future happenings within the club and track. Meeting attendance is not mandatory but you will get one point for your attendance, be considered a contributing member of the club (if you attend most of them), and be all up to date on what’s going on.

Workdays

These days are absolutely vital to getting things accomplished! Many hands make light work and the more people we have attend these days the easier our jobs are, the better our facility looks, and the more prepared we will be for race day. We greatly appreciated every volunteer that comes up here to work.  It is rewarded two-fold.  Not only do you earn those points to help reduce your membership, we are making the club a clean, safe place for everyone,  We want people to come to our facility and be impressed with how well we keep our grounds and track.  I take pride on how our facility looks and so should you. We are all in this together and are part of something special.

Race Day Workers

Flaggers are extremely important to the safety of the riders on the track during race day. It’s no fun giving up your race weekend, but we all are vital contributors to running a successful race day.   Sign ups can be done online at our website, or at the meeting preceding the race.  We rely on our volunteers to make our home inviting to races, and spectators!

Track Status Sign

Check out the track status sign at the top of the driveway every time you arrive. If something says, “closed”, it says that for a reason. Also check to see if there is a sign that says “Equipment on track”. If the sign is out, please check in with the equipment operator before you start spinning laps. Also, it is important to do a sight lap  This allows the rider to check track conditions, obstacles, possible changes and hidden hazards (hay bales, limbs, condition of jumps, etc. If you find a hazard, do your best to remove it or contact an equipment operator or board member. This part is very important:  NO STOPPING ON THE TRACK AT ANY TIME. Riders must pull off the track. 

Visitors

It is acceptable to bring non-members up to the track to watch. However, they are not allowed to ride. Not even in the pits.  If you are caught allowing a non-member to ride, it could be grounds to be expelled from the club.

Woods

We want to see our woods live strong for another 100 years. It would be great if we could allow everyone to have free reign of the woods! However, with so many woods riders this year we need to work together to make sure everyone stays safe and we preserve their condition. With that said there are certain areas we try to stay away from until our hare scramble. Once there is a marked course set up, please only ride on the marked course. This is something that may not always be the most fun but, staying on the course helps the rest of the woods recuperate from many years of use, and keeps everyone going the same direction. Also the grassy areas in the parking lot are always dedicated no spin zones where riders should travel at the most about 10 MPH. So when coming out of the dike it’s cool to catch some air but back her down ASAP. Also when slowly riding around the pit areas, stick to the gravel roads as much as possible. If you see something in the woods that needs to be addressed, please make sure to reach out to a board member. 

Special Jobs & Equipment Operation

If you have any skills or experience running some of the equipment we have at the track, make sure you talk to the president to get clearance to run anything. Only run the equipment you have been given authorization to use, and likewise if you haven’t been given authorization, please stay off the equipment. The last thing we want is for someone to get injured or our equipment breaking when someone was not supposed to be running it.  There is not free rein on the equipment.  Jim Roe is in charge of the track maintenance.  No one needs to be on the equipment, on the track other than Jim.  Again, make sure to check the signs at the top of the hill for status of tracks. 

Pit Riding on Non-Race Days

This is acceptable as long as a few things are done. The person pit riding is not harming the grass or gravel areas in any way, and the individual(s) are wearing helmets and proper protective equipment at all times.  DOUBLE riding is not allowed.  Bikes must be in 1st gear.

Bathroom Use

Make sure to use the porta johns provided. On race day the bathroom building will be open for business. When the bathroom building is open, only wash your hands with that water as it is not suitable for drinking.

Other Rules

  • Helmets are required whenever on a motorized vehicle on our property.
  • Keep the gate code confidential. If you are the last one to leave the track, LOCK the gate behind you.
  • Keep ATVs off the moto track and out of the woods on non-work days.
  • Be respectful of our neighbors, other members, and the club property at all times. Riding on neighboring property is strictly prohibited Any member found trespassing on neighboring lands without furnishing written permission from the landowner, will have their membership and associated privileges suspended from the time of the infraction until a date specified by the board.
  • Each one of us is the face of PRA and always make sure to uphold a positive image of the club.
  • All practice riding is done in a clockwise direction
  • Practicing starts in the start area is allowed, but for safety reasons practicing out of the start area into the first turn is prohibited.
  • No quads are allowed on the track, unless for working purposes.
  • If you see someone who you don't believe is a member question them – make sure they are a member.  We get a few rogue riders up here, and for insurance  purposes, we need to make sure they are legit members.  You can tell a rogue rider to leave if you discover they are not a member
  • No big bikes on the mini track, unless specifically there to teach a pee wee rider, or show direction.
  • Use judgment when riding during the early and late seasons. Trails may need to be shut down if they are too wet.

Garbage

Carry in, carry out. If you are unable to bring your garbage home, please use the toters provided by the club.

Sound Rule

                  To further keep our relationship positive with our neighbors we have to have a sound rule. All 4-stroke motorcycles will be held to a 115 decibel limit on the 2 meter max test (average of three readings). Any 4 stroke motorcycle that is considered to be excessive of the limit shall be tested on-site by a member properly trained to use the sound test equipment. A failed motorcycle can be repacked by the member on-site that day or any other method for retesting. A re-packed previously failed motorcycle must be retested for approval following a failure. All two-stroke motorcycles will also be held to the 115 decibel 2 meter max sound limit. The minimum lengths for aftermarket silencer canisters (not including end caps) are: · 8” for 80’s · 9” for 125’s · 11” for 250’s.

If you have questions on the sound rule, please feel free to reach out to Randy Smith, or check with a board member.

Extra for 2024

We have a lot of projects we would like to get done this season, which will help prolong the facility for many years to come.  We would love extra hands whenever possible.  

Familiarize yourself with the bylaws, which can be found on Trackboss. We use this as a guide to run this club.  Speaking of the website, frequent it often as we, race info, club updates, etc. 

Make sure to put it on your calendar for upcoming meetings and important PRA events.  At meetings we will have important facility updates, as well as your chance to sign up for race day jobs.  We rely on volunteers to help run a nice, smooth race. 

We are often in need of organics for the track, however, make sure to contact Jim Roe or myself before you just bring it up. We have specific areas we can drop that stuff, and we need to assess the need at that time.

Woods Rules

First and foremost, please stay on the marked course!

The course is always arrowed, please follow them. The woods loop changes periodically throughout the season. So, keep any eye out when taking your first loop. This is for everyone's safety as the woods can become pretty busy, staying on the marked course avoids any collisions with other riders. The loop is also laid out to avoid wet and low areas and areas that we are trying to let "rest", so please be mindful of that.

The woods loop is typically laid out to be beginner rider friendly. If there are any concerns, please contact me and we can try to address those concerns. We can't please everyone but we'll definitely try! And we want the loop to be easy and friendly for the younger riders and those learning! We want it to be fun!

Lastly, please be conscious and do your part with protecting the trails we have. Please make good choices, and try to avoid the trails after heavy rainfall to let them dry out a little bit. It does more damage than good by riding thru the trails then.  Also, if you see any garbage, please take a second and stop and grab it and take out with you. This helps tremendously with keeping our woods clean. We want to keep our trails clean and fun for many, many years to come.

Please make sure to stay out of the fields unless there is a designated trail or turn track area like we are considering.  The fields are not free reign as we typically lease them to be farmed to help with property costs.

Also - one thing that we haven't addressed, and should, is riding in the pits. The upper corner of the pits, has turned into a mini-turn track.  There is significant damage up there now that needs to be repaired. You may see a “turn track” up there, but please make sure you do not ride there.  We need to stop people from riding there.

Race Day Guidelines

  • Follow all rules on race day as if it were any other member only day
  • Only members that work on the work day prior to a race, or members working practice or race day, are eligible to have their gate fee waived.
  • The woods are closed on race days for the general public and membership
  • Be mindful of the facilities.  If you see that there is an issue or something that needs attention, report it to the office or a board member.